Eleanor Mary Rickard (née Townsend)

Private Eleanor Mary Townsend, originally from Little Hampton, Tasmania, joined the Voluntary Aid Detachments (V.A.D.) in October 1942 after years of Red Cross and St John Ambulance work.

After enlisting in Campbell Town, Eleanor transferred to the Australian Army Medical Women's Service (A.A.M.W.S.) in February 1943, despite initial resistance from her father, a World War I veteran.

She completed her training at Balcombe in Victoria before serving at several hospitals in Queensland. In early 1945, at just 23 years of age, Eleanor was selected as one of 29 young nurses to be posted to Bougainville.

There, she joined the 2/1st Australian General Hospital. While sheltering from a tropical storm, Eleanor met Harry Rickard — a chance encounter that would change both their lives.

On V-P Day, August 15, 1945, as the world celebrated the end of World War II, Harry and Eleanor were married in the first army wedding on Bougainville. The ceremony was held in the AGH Army Chapel Tent at Torokina.

Their honeymoon was spent in a rest house in the mountains before Eleanor returned to Tasmania to complete her service and discharge from the Army.

She later reunited with Harry in Curyo, Victoria, where the couple settled before eventually moving to Birchip.

Together, Harry and Eleanor raised three children and continued their shared connection to rural life and community service.

Their relationship, which began with a chance meeting during wartime, endured long after the war had ended. In 2005, they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary — a testament to a bond forged through service, chance and enduring love.